Jason Castro Exit Interviews

uff. I LOVE Blue Eyes I really wish I could’ve heard him sing it!

Thanks, mj. You basically summarized in one paragraph what pages of news reports have been saying.

Do you believe he never threw in the towel? It does sound like his confidence and will were shot when they started doing 2 songs- like he didn’t believe he could do it almost.

The boy is undeniably talented and charismatic, but seems to lack the drive that some of the others like Carly and Michael have. Can someone make it in the music industry without that drive?

In Jason’s case, I hope it’s possible. I want a CD darn it!

I don’t necessarily think he is not driven just because he was struggling trying to learn two songs in a week and do tons of PR at the same time. In fact one could argue he may be more driven, not wanting to put out a mediocre product. His itune recordings have been excellent even given the short learning curve. Sorry but I get a little irritated that some think his inablity to perform this last week was due to his lack of initiative.

Ahh thanks MJ – I sure got sucked into that conspiracy for a bit too. I am soooo glad that lovers and haters of Jason get to see him for what he really is. He did very well in his interviews and is so charismatic that I could just watch him talk and talk let alone sing.

Do you believe he never threw in the towel?

Yeah, I believe that. I think he was trying his best, but with a lot of self-doubt. It’s hard to function with low self-confidence, but I don’t believe he made a decision to stop trying so he’d get eliminated. Tuesday night went disastrously for him. When he was finally eliminated, he felt relief.

Like I said in another post, I think Jason had many mixed emotions these past few weeks. Heck, probably a lot of them do. The rest just have a better filter and ability to keep their feelings close to the vest.

I don’t think he threw in the towel, either. Nice assessment, MJ.

The boy is undeniably talented and charismatic, but seems to lack the drive that some of the others like Carly and Michael have.

I think Jason’s drive is for the music, and not necessarily to be a star. I think that’s why he did so well in the competition with so little experience. People found his lack of desperation refreshing and when he found a song he really connected to, it was magic. The themes made it difficult for him to do that every week when they just had to do one song, much less two.

My sense is that once all the extraneous Idol stuff is over, he’ll definately be pursing a music career. Hopefully, some indie label will give him a shot because I, too, want a CD.

There was never a conspiracy against JC. His televised comments weren’t taken out of context. Paula’s screw up didn’t bother him. He is who he is. A really nice kid, new to the whole music business, who got in a bit over his head. I really hope that he takes some time and does what he really wants to do.

I think it’s fair to say that the viewing audience may have interpreted Jason’s surrender before he knew it himself. His body language, his eyes…they said it all. I think he finally resolved in his mind that he was ready to go when he was on the stage with Syesha, but clearly, there was a very noticeable struggle going on with him for the two or three weeks before he left. It was getting hard, as it is with all of the remaining three. They just look…exhausted.

However, if he would have survived another week, he would have given it his best shot.

If you compare Jason’s performances of Daydream and Hallelujah to some of his later ones, you’ll see what he means about needing to connect to music. When he loves a song, his entire demeanor changes. His face lights up and he becomes animated. If he doesn’t connect it becomes work for him.

…and like Brooke, I think this competition stifled his more creative, artistic side. His level of ingenuity is just as brilliant as David Cook’s but they go about it in different ways. I couldn’t imagine DC being able to interpret “Hallelujah” and more than I can see Jason selling “Hello”.

I agree, MJ. I think what happened with Jason is tied in with what he said about his “inexperience” and lacking confidence because of it. Jason can build up his drive as he gains experience.

I also think what he said about it “taking time to fall in love with a song” is telling. Many creative people find it difficult to be rushed into performing — whether it’s writing a story, acting a role, performing a song, etc. Some can, but that facility often needs to be developed through experience.

Earlier, I almost commented about this season’s and last season’s performances not being as polished in general as they were in earlier seasons. As other have mentioned, I think this is largely because TPTB load up the idols’ schedules with too many extraneous events. (They’ve always had hectic schedules, but it’s gotten worse.) Maybe there’s no going back, but I wish AI would ease off next season and give the idols more time to be as creative as they can be. I think the overall product would be better.

Cook could make “Hallelujah” into a masterpiece second only to LC himself and J Buckley.

I think Jasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s drive is for the music, and not necessarily to be a star. I think thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why he did so well in the competition with so little experience. People found his lack of desperation refreshing and when he found a song he really connected to, it was magic. The themes made it difficult for him to do that every week when they just had to do one song, much less two.

My sense is that once all the extraneous Idol stuff is over, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll definately be pursing a music career. Hopefully, some indie label will give him a shot because I, too, want a CD.

pj I think you hit the nail on the head.

I really do hope that Jason takes the time to make a full cd of music that he connects to. I love his recording voice and hope that some indie label feels similarly. Good luck, Jason. I’ll be waiting for that cd.

I think Jasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s drive is for the music, and not necessarily to be a star. I think thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why he did so well in the competition with so little experience. People found his lack of desperation refreshing and when he found a song he really connected to, it was magic.

On this, I completely agree with you, pj. This is also the reason why I can believe that there were moments, at least, when he did “throw in the towel” as regards the competition and all that it entailed that got in the way of the music.

I also think what he said about it à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“taking time to fall in love with a songà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is telling.

This part is my favorite of all the things he said in that interview.

Hi, purple! I agree, that’s the line that stood out for me too.

I hope Jason makes it big as a singer/songwriter. Totally understand how hard it must be for a creative musician to have to sing stuff that ranges from Neil Diamond to Andrew Lloyd Webber within a few weeks. Not everyone can do that — it certainly is not a something you need to do to be a successful musician.

I’m sure it is extra tough for contestants who play instruments because they have to learn the instrumental accompaniment and not just th vocals.

Cook could make à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hallelujahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  into a masterpiece second only to LC himself and J Buckley.

I don’t think so. He tends to lean toward overkill and that song requires a level of restraint that I’ve never seen from him. Even when he didn’t “rock out” Music of the Night he still overhit the big notes.

When we watch this show we find our “fav”: and then they can do no wrong. Not every performance by every person has been good. When Cook did Music of the Night, my husband walked in the room and said “that was pretty ordinary” Yet his fans went nuts. Take these kids out of AI and grade them on their own merits, not against each other. Cook has taken covers of covers and copied them and people say he is a genius. Why?
Archie almost never had to do a song he didn’t know and hadn’t sung a thousand times. Doesn’t this give him way more atvantage over the others?
Jason was the only one who came in to this with no previous experience. No pre-package was available. Yet somehow he connected to the people. Yes, I am sure there were a few that just voted cuz he’s so pretty, but I know the majority voted because something in his voice made them stop and want to listen. Was it the most perfect voice, not even close. But something made his fans vote him into the 4th place. He doesn’t just sing a song, in fact he finds it impossible to do that. Without being able to “connect” with the lyrics, he was lost. Especially in the time frame alloted. Does this make him a slacker, I don’t think so. What we were shown is a sensitive, poetic kid who got ground up in the Idol machine. I hate reading the news stories that talk about him like he was some kind of idiot. He is so not any such thing.
Cook fans don’t be freaking, I hope he wins. Archie fans, I got nothing. I do not get the appeal. If he is trying to be Josh Grobin, he can’t even touch Josh. Syeshia, well, I saw Tina Turner on Oprah yesterday. At 67 years old Tina is rocking the joint. Sy in her “wildest dreams” will never even come close to Tina.

I honestly don’t see Cook doing as well with Hallelujah as Jason did. I will give DC all the props in the world, but Jason’s interpretation of the song came from a deep personal connection to the song. Unless DC had the same connection, he just wouldn’t make the magic that Jason had that night, no matter how well he sang it. Castro said in an interview that he was thrilled to hear he pushed Buckley’s version to #1, and was just happy to have gotten more people to know it. He mentioned that after Hallelujah, people kept wanting more of the same, but he felt songs like that, ones you really feel, are rare for him. I think he wasn’t finding songs like that at all the last few weeks, and hence the seemingly lackluster, desperate performances.

There’s a reason Rolling Stone, John Norris at MTV and other reputable sources gravitated towards Jason Castro. Its raw talent and artistry. They can smell a fake a mile away – they’ve seen it all. To me, they give cred. Its about the craft and music…not the showy nature of AI. Most of the other ‘reporters’ or critics are gossips and are drawn to the drama, desperation and fame whoring.

Can’t wait for JCs cd.

BTW, DC doesn’t have the soul for Hallelujah. It must come from a quiet, peaceful, reverent, authentic place. That’s not his scene.

Even this huge Castro fan can admit that it was his time to go…but something tells me I will miss him dearly next week…no more fun one-liners like, “I was thinking, Bob Marley!”

Well, we don’t really know what Cookie would do with “Hallelujah,” do we? I’m going to reserve judgement. I admit I have a hard time seeing him choosing to sing it, however. I have an equally hard time envisioning Jason choosing “Hello,” so I get Gwendolyn’s original point.

I think David Cook deserves to win this competition. That does not diminish Jason’s contributions to the show, or change the fact that his voice is my personal favorite. I really hope he has a chance to share his passion for music with us when this is all said and done.

Well said by many above in describing Jason’s appeal. I was quite surprised to find myself drawn into his voice the first week, as I had already dismissed him as a wannabe based on his appearance. Just something about his carefree, easygoing style and sweet vocals that caught my ear, and I liked his humble spirit when listening to the judges. He was just different, and I think a lot of America keyed into that, too. Toot suite, you can add EW’s Michael Slezak to Jason’s fanlist, he has been one of his most ardent supporters this year, along with Season 6′s Chris Sligh. I would consider both to be good judges of talent and potential.

Well put, MJ. I think Jason needs more time than others to renew his batteries. He’s an artist.

I’m not buying the reasons for his lack of exposure before Top 24. His songs might not have been cleared but they showed plenty of appealing footage of him on his kiss-off video that I’d never seen before.

I agree totally with PJ. Jason is a musician and isn’t after becoming a star. Fortunately, he was blessed with the outer trappings of a star which brought him to everyone’s attention – positive & negative.

I disagree totally with MrRJ. Cooke’s Hallelujah would have lacked the vulnerability and ethereal quality that Jason gave it.

AllMusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine:

As I said yesterday à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  the day when I called him Jason Cook, as the show has clearly worn me down, too à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s done enough to have a career outside of the show and my money is that he will make an album about as good and true to himself (the ultimate Paula criteria) as David C.

I’m waiting impatiently for that album. In the meantime I watch Daydream and get a smile on my face knowing he’s as carefree now as he was then before all the negativity sucked his energy away. AI is all about an assembly line of machine parts where anything that doesn’t fit the mould is discarded. Hope he gets the right exposure. MJ & Carly blossomed into stars AFTER they were eliminated.

Okay, phew! I read the comment about DC being able to surpass Jason’s version of Hallelujah and was already to type a post. You guys did it Way better than I could’ve. Mine was going to be more like, “Nuh-uh!”

Whoever above suggested lightening the idol’s schedules in future season so that they can have more time to work on their performances thereby creating a better end product hit the nail right on the head. These kids are being worn too thin, like dancing bears.

I’m going to miss Jason this coming week, but shudder to think how hard it would’ve been on him to do all that travelling, etc. and come up with THREE songs.

Still, I’ll miss him……

Apparantely Jason taped the Ellen show this morning and is singing DAYDREAM. Yay, as that is the performance that made me a fan. I didnt know much about him before that. However, the person also said Jason seemed a bit tired. OH NO! I hope Jason can survive and not be overwhelmed on tour.

Hey TootSuite, thanks for the cred comments for Jason.

Archie has not only been carrying the AI workload, but also being tutored 3 hours a day for his school-work. He actually looks at it as a relief!

I think there was more to Jason’s “wall” than he has spoken about, and which he may not even be aware of yet. I think his personality was being stifled a bit, based on his comments on Thursday about getting to do “something different”. There are some people who do horribly with routines. It’s kills their spirit. They need to be free.

And twice in interviews in the last few weeks, he spoke of being lonely on Friday night. Even though I think he’s an introvert, he’s a playful one, and as the population dwindled down, he seemed to get more and more lonely.

I think it all contributes. People need to have the time to recharge their batteries and refresh their minds. Maybe he just didn’t have a way of getting that. To me, he truly seemed to be burned out, yet still doing the best he could.

In the end, I think he did well. Fourth place isn’t too bad for a student playing in a dorm room at midnight. I can’t wait for his CD’s either!

Absolutely agree with comments about Jason being more of a musician/artist than a “star”. I always sensed that about him. And it was “Daydream” that made me sit up and take notice too, partly because that was one of my coming-of-age songs.

Thanks MJ for posting the AI exit interviews. Really shows more of who he is. Explains some of the inner workings of the machine too.

What a neat kid. He is more articulate and ‘in-touch’ with his feelings than most of contestants appear to be. At least, he’s very open and honest about his feelings. I imagine his extended family have alot to do with who he is. Kudos to them for that.

I had read elsewhere that Jason had an offbeat sense of humour so I imagine it was getting a bit lonely for him without the likes of Michael J. and Carly around.

You know, I can think of several musicians from the late 60′s that did very well: Donovon, Robin Williamson (Incredible String Band), Arlo Guthrie…all kinda in the folk-rock scene. They did well for themselves and eschewed the “star” status.
I really hope that Jason can pursue his love of music in the same way. My experience with serious musicians is that they are mostly about the music, not about the trappings.

I hope L.A. will be kind to him if he moves there.

I saw pretty much all the print and TV interviews yesterday, but it was heartwarming to read a compact version and bask in the afterglow. I was worried that Jason would get so trashed by the media that his career prospects would be crushed, but the kid is so disarmingly real that he won new admirers, including those hard-boiled journalists. MJ, thanks for leaving the light on for us heartbroken Castronauts even though you still have a favorite in the race.

Toot Suite May 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a reason Rolling Stone, John Norris at MTV and other reputable sources gravitated towards Jason Castro. Its raw talent and artistry. They can smell a fake a mile away – theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen it all. To me, they give cred. Its about the craft and musicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦not the showy nature of AI. Most of the other à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹reportersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ or critics are gossips and are drawn to the drama, desperation and fame whoring

Toot Suite, can I give you a hug? That was just about the wordiest word this wordsmith has read about the real Jason Castro.

Just the other day MJ noted that her local rock stations aren’t playing Daughtry. I live in SoCal where rock radio is an embarrassment of riches. None of these alt-rock dominated stations — World Famous KROQ, Indie 103, or 91X — ever plays Daughtry. Nor does classic rock station KLOS.

If allowed to remain true to his instincts and vision, potentially Jason’s music could get airplay on at least the alt and maybe the top 40 rock stations. He has a hard rock drummer’s sensibility tempered by a folkie’s soul.

Sublime. The Lovin’ Spoonful. Leonard Cohen. Jeff Buckley. Israel Kamakawiwoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ole. Bob Marley. Bob Dylan. All in the same season of American Idol. Okay, we didn’t get to see Sublime, but still. Who woulda thunk it?

Jason is the farthest thing from a fame whore, but I could totally see MTV or VH1 creating a reality show for him. I could also see Jason turning them down.

Terrie-

I believe Jason already was on an MTV reality show, albeit a small role and for a short period of time.

Apparantely Jason taped the Ellen show this morning and is singing DAYDREAM. Yay, as that is the performance that made me a fan. I didnt know much about him before that. However, the person also said Jason seemed a bit tired. OH NO! I hope Jason can survive and not be overwhelmed on tour.

Great! I was hoping for Daydream or SOTR, with him on guitar. I think Daydream captures the breath of fresh air he brought to the season. I didn’t want him to ruin the memory of his Idol Hallelujah performance by doing it on talk shows.

No more reality TV for Jason, please. He already did the silly Cheyenee show where he pretended to be her boyfriend, and now Idol, so the last thing he needs is to be pegged as a reality show whore. He doesn’t need that at this point, all he needs is some mentors to help him write and put together a collection of memorable songs for a CD. The tour will help him polish his performing skills.

Thanks for all the well thought out responses, everyone. For a day or two, I think I did get caught up in all the media hooplah about him giving up, and I did not want the end of his Idol journey (and perhaps his future prospects) to be adversely affected by such a perception. I was seriously worried for him, which now in retrospect seems rather silly, because even HE doesn’t seem so worried!

pj, I think you make an excellent point about Jason’s drive being for music and not so much being a star. Count me in as one who found it refreshingly beautiful on such a show as this. I truly hope an indie label picks him up by tapping on his talent and passion for making music.

(Jason- if you read mj’s, I’m sorry I doubted you. I LOVE YOU!) lol

Jason’s interviews are wonderful. Of course he’s tired now, they run these kids ragged on the show and once they are booted there isn’t a minute to rest as they are doing media for days and days……..hope he gets a chance for a good night’s sleep before having to perform on the finale! And then there are the rehearsals for the tour coming up, but that will be fun, more than work for him I think. Kind of llike the cheezy group songs on Wednesdays that he loves to do!

Hope I can get good seats for the tour. I wouldn’t go if it weren’t for him.
I love Jason Castro! And for many, many reasons I am glad he didn’t win on the show. He’s already won in my heart and the hearts of his fans.

Did you guys see his ET video interview?
It’s posted on the front page of Castrocopia right now.
I made a quick skim for it here but didn’t see it.

It was awesome.
They play a clip of Paula talking in her car.
She says some beautiful, magnificent things about him.
She believes in him.

I’m glad Jason did Daydream for Ellen.
I hope he does SOTR, too, WITH the ukulele on one of the other shows.

I don’t think there is a human being on the planet with enough ca-hones to purposely forget song lyrics in front of 25 million people.

mj, are you going to post Jason’t ET interview? Sounds like a good one.

Where can I see the Ellen interview? I missed it.

He will be on Ellen this coming monday 4got – right?

I am in AZ right now and heard Daughtry on the radio this morning

Thanks, Sumi. Thought I’d missed it somewhere…..my brain is tired too ….heee

Jason is going to be on Regis & Kelly and on Ellen on MONDAY.
Then he’s going to be on Fox’s The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet on TUESDAY.
mj is always great at keeping us updated with the videos.

Just saw Jason on TMZ. I wonder if Jason knows just how pretty he is, 4 realz. Can’t wait to hear him sing on Ellen and Regis/Kelly and wherever. Just sing boy, sing.

Euwww, those TMZ reporters/stalkers really are like snakes in the grass. Jason didn’t give that guy the time of day much less any other comment.

While waiting for the new Jason videos, I went to watch some of the old ones and ended up seeing some of him drumming. I’m not sure I care for the sound or the band, but those shoulders sure look, err, interesting… :tongue1_tb:

Jason drumming for Keeping Lions

Just one last thought…why didn’t Jason say, “Please vote”?

I don’t think he thought of saying please vote, and he didn’t realize he could be misunderstood until after he sat down. As Jessica Shaw has said, Jason is a man of few words.

Jason should definitely be voted “The Contestant Most Likely To Be Misunderstood” this year. Good thing for him he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Stuff seems to roll off his back.

The man of few words shd’ve said ‘Vote’. Any extra word was unnecessary.

I doubt Jason ever thought for a second that he would become the most controversial contestant on the show this year. It seems to me that he just wants to share music with the world, happily and peacefully. His enjoyment comes from being able to do what he loves and sharing it with the world, not for being famous or becoming a star.

I’m glad he’s had the opportunity to clear up some of the misunderstandings about him through these interviews. He wouldn’t have gotten to do the media circuit had he come in 3rd, so I guess in every cloud there is a silver lining.

My 11 year old who loves David A was watching VH1 Top 20 countdown and said “mom, come here – is this Jason Castro? It was Jason Mraz and it was the first time I sat down to really listen to Mraz. Jason will be just fine – I cant wait for the doubters to see. Oh, sidenote – a few were talking about Daughtry not getting airplay now and he is on the VH1′s top 3 videos- and is played everyday here in Arizona.

Also, he claims that he mouthed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Vote, voteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to the camera after Ryan gave his numbersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’not à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Voteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  as some conspiracy theorists have claimed.

I am hardly a conspiracy theorist and I love Jason but I just I still believe he said “don’t vote.” That’s what I saw and that’s what I felt he meant to say right at that moment. Maybe he didn’t really mean it, but perhaps it’s like the case of that which happened with Jessica Shaw:

The fact of the matter that day was I was in a bad mood. I was frustrated with a lot of things…I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even remember much of what I said. There are some days that are just like that. You just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to do what you are doing.

I also thought his statement that he thought immediately right after it happened that it could have looked like he said “don’t vote” is puzzling to me. Why would he think that if he didn’t really say it or mean to say it? It struck me as a case of The boy doth protest too much. What I think might have happened is that he immediately regretted doing/having said it, which I can understand.

In the first half of this radio show podcast, this matter was discussed. Randy Jackson was asked about it, but he didn’t really give a clear answer.

Mojo in the Morning

I really wish I didn’t feel this way, but I just can’t shake the feeling. I’m not really mad at Jason, though. I think I understand it/him.

Ok…I just had had to let that out. I’ll breathe now.

The man of few words shdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve said à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Voteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. Any extra word was unnecessary.

Ah, if only Jason had his crystal ball that night. He really had no way of knowing that he would be misinterpreted, and analyzed in High Definition slow mo over the next few days. I think Jason didn’t realize how seriously some of the tinfoil hat wearers take their conspiracy theorizing.

For me, I agree with what PJ said. For some of these people, selling three million records or popping up in the pages of US magazine are just not the goals. Some of them would just like the opportunity to do what they love and be able to make a living at it. Super-stardom and the inevitable relentless scrutiny of your personal life that goes along with it are just not everyone’s cup of tea.

Jason seems like a very nice person, with a wonderful sense of humor. The fact that he doesn’t take himself too seriously will serve him well in life.

Whats a tinfoil hat?

Whats a tinfoil hat?

Just a little joke about conspiracy theorists. You see, you wear your tinfoil hat to protect you from government mind control.

Amazingly enough, instructions for the construction of your own tinfol beanie can be found here.

Maybe it went down like you think, Purps. We’ll never really know. He clearly said vote after his second song, and I guess it’s possible that your theory is right and he had a change of heart. Still, it looks like “vote, vote” to me, so I’m going to take his word for it. I spent a lot of time voting for him, and I’m not at all upset by anything he’s done.

Besides, it’s a moot point now, anyway. I’m over Jasongate and looking forward to the tour.

Sumidol, tinfoil hat article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_foil_hat

OHHH! ok thanks

I am hardly a conspiracy theorist and I love Jason but I just I still believe he said à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

It’s hard to make a “D” sound when your front upper teeth are on your lower lip (try it). And in the Zaprudered tape, that’s what you see. (And I have a strong sense of unreality in knowing that I know that…)

Since I don’t think Jason could have broken up the David Squared finale, and at this point, he probably would’ve been flayed alive if he had, I think it’s probably a great thing for him that he went out at fourth. He really comes across well in the interviews and I think he’s done a great job clearing up the numerous controversies he had going on.

I believe him when he says he said “vote, vote.” That’s what it looked like to me anyway, and he did say vote, by itself, once after MTM. One of his interviewers made some editorial comment about it being weird that he says in one breath he wanted to win and make the top 3 and not get sent home, and in the next breath that he was happy when he was kicked off, but I think it’s probably a really honest and well-rounded assessment of the situation, and one that I wonder if some of the other contestants don’t share. Jason says that if he was going to be there, he was going to be in it to win it, and he thinks the further you go, the better opportunities you get, but he also says he wasn’t having fun towards the end and he was feeling stressed out and insecure and didn’t know if he could do it. I wonder if at the beginning, they want to stay in it because they want to be there and have the whole experience, and towards the end, they want to stay in it to get the goshdarned contract and the process becomes just an obstacle?

Three people who lip read or know someone who lip read told me Jason said “vote vote”, and Jason said that’s what he said, and Jason is astonishingly honest, so I believe him.

I’ve been meaning to find out what a tinfoil hat is! :tongue1_tb:

I also think it seems reasonable for him to have worried about people thinking he said “don’t vote,” and wanting to correct that, in light of the the EW article. He probably knew that there were already rumors about him not wanting to be there. When the article first came out, I thought that if he wanted to be there, he would probably have to do all the crazy “numbered-fingers” gestures or say something to debunk the rumors.

He wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have gotten to do the media circuit had he come in 3rd, so I guess in every cloud there is a silver lining.

I’m enjoying this particular silver lining. It gives me more than my quota of Jason watch for the week. Yikes, I sound like a stalker!! :help_tb: